Lynn,
When you add sketching to Auriga - if it can handle backsights properly, and splay shoots, and do normal survey station format - I think you will have a winner.
Isn't Auriga already handling backsights properly, offering splay shots and doing "normal station format" ?
Backsights have been an opt-in feature right from the start. Splay shots were introduced last December, and they can be acquired both while in Survey Shot or Map. As for survey stations, they can be named anything up to 12 characters, or use a 6.6-type format.
It would sure be nice to have a couple of brushes instead of just colors. At least a floor drop, ceiling drop, and dashed line.
You can't expect a freeware sketching program running on a 10 cm PDA screen to perform like Illustrator. It seems reasonable to me you may have to retrace at home some lines drawn while in cave. Sketch layers are very convenient for that.
I really do like your DistoX calibration routine (except you can't view or save the data).
What is there to view and why would you want to save this data? You own tests show the calibration should be repeated every three weeks. And calibration changes with batteries and between DistoX units.
Very slick, and much more user friendly than the PocketTopo version.
I'm glad you like it. Contrary to Pocket Topo, I preferred to make it standalone instead of embedding it into Auriga.
And I find I like the Palms (Tungsten E2 and TX) better than the Axim or the IPAQ. Although all of them drive me slightly crazy.
The E2 drives you crazy? It's my preferred Bluetooth-capable device. The TX has a better (larger) screen but some devices, not all, experience disconnect problems I'm still struggling with. I advise against buying a TX for Auriga unless you can try it before buying it.
And the E2 gets great battery life (which is good since you can't carry a spare). My HP gets terrible battery life - even with a new battery. The Axim isn't bad.
Aceeca, maker of rugged PDAs, is supposed to release two new Bluetooth-capable PalmOS devices in April: the rugged MEZ1500 ($400 + ? for Bluetooth option) and the less-rugged TX-like PDA32 (200$ + ? for Bluetooth option), both with QVGA screens and twice (2000 mAh) the usual battery capacity. The MEZ1500 battery will be field-replaceable. Per agreement with Aceeca, I should be testing these models as soon as they become available.
It would be nice if you would write a Palm application to download DistoX data (after a survey trip) - even to a text file (and I'm sure you would want Auriga format as well). That would allow Disto X users who aren't using PocketTopo to use your DistoX calibration and not need a Windows PDA to download the data. I seem to have terrible luck downloading the DistoX to a laptop. I end up having to use the Axim or the IPAQ...
Can't you run PocketTopo on a PC to do that? If not, you should ask (PocketTopo's) Beat Heeb for that, he's the one making the DistoX. As for creating an Auriga file with a DistoX dump, that would create a poor cave file: no station names, and no way to tell DistoX data between survey shots, LRUDs and splay shots. What a mess! Next thing you'll need is a tool to move the DistoX data between survey shots, LRUDs and splay shots...
If Auriga users want to use a DistoX, they can connect their PDA to it, or manually input the data. In either case, they get the benefits of seeing the cave as they survey it, detect errors, fix loops, etc. If some cavers just want to use a DistoX and paper, they can write their own transfer program, the DistoX protocol is public. I simply see no point in downloading all the data once back home.
Regards,